Officials: Seaside Heights ready for annual St. Patrick's Day Parade

Mar. 7, 2013

Children enjoy the 25th annual Ocean County St. Patrick's Day Parade in 2009. / Asbury Park Press FILE PHOTO

A girl watches a bagpipe band during the 2007 Ocean County St. Patrick's Day Parade in Seaside Heights. / ASBURY PARK PRESS FILE PHOTO

IF YOU GO:The 29th annual Ocean County St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Seaside Heights will start at noon following the traditional 10 a.m. Irish Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church on the borough’s Boulevard. The parade route is along the Boulevard. The parade will have 150 marching groups, 13 bands and between 10 to 15 floats, according to Denis P. Kelly, parade chairman. Kelly advised parade watchers to come early as parking could be a problem based on damage from Sandy. For information about the parade, call 732-267-4876. The committee recently launched a new website www.ocstpatricksdayparade.com.

Paradeadvancer.jpg STAFF PHOTO/BOB VOSSELLER Cindy Duran, 26, of Dover picks up some debris from Kearney Avenue in Seaside Heights on March 2 during a cleanup project by Rebuild Seaside in preparation of Saturday?s Ocean County St. Patrick?s Day Parade in the borough.

Maria O'Reilly (left) of Paramus clears street debris on Saturday in preparation for the parade. She was among around 100 volunteers participating in an effort by Rebuild Seaside.

Carl Weingroff (above, right), general manager of Ryan's Deli in Seaside Heights, and head chef Brook Adams look over corned beef for the Ocean County St. Patrick's Day Parade. / BOB VOSSELLER/STAFF PHOTOs

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SEASIDE HEIGHTS — Even as the Shore braced for another nor’easter Wednesday, officials and business owners prepared for the annual Ocean County St. Patrick’s Day Parade along the borough’s Boulevard this weekend.

Marchers, bagpipers and floats will travel the emerald painted line Saturday for what will be the first major event held in the borough since superstorm Sandy, according to Denis P. Kelly, parade chairman.

With residents and businesses along the barrier island still recovering from the damage that Sandy caused, the parade committee decided “Restoring the Shore” would serve as this year’s parade theme. Kelly said the parade traditionally kicks off the tourist season in Ocean County. Watch the video above to see how locals prepared for the parade. Using our mobile app? Watch the video here.

“This year’s parade will demonstrate the resilience of the Jersey Shore. Not only is it a good thing for tourism but it will also bring a sense of normalcy back to the area. We are expecting a sunny, 55-degree day, and I think it will bring our usual number of spectators of 50,000.’’

To help prepare the borough for the parade, Arthur Kelly, a former area resident who has family in Toms River, gathered more than 100 volunteers on Saturday for a borough-wide cleanup effort of Sandy debris.

“Seaside Heights is pulling together. I’m excited and looking forward to the parade. It is a family tradition for us,’’ said Kelly, who formed Rebuild Seaside Heights, a local group focused on supporting the borough through fundraising and supply collections. “When the storm hit many groups formed. For me and many others, it was a Seaside Heights effort to help rebuild what was lost.’’

Mayor Bill Akers said the borough is ready for the event.

“We are very excited about the first official event being the Ocean County St. Patrick’s Day Parade. I think we are in very good shape. We made arrangements with the county to make Ocean Terrace a one way street. All the traffic will head south, half for cars and half for pedestrian traffic because the boardwalk is still under repair. We have between 20 to 25 businesses open,’’ Akers said.

Among those businesses is the Chop Shop restaurant on the Boulevard, which is set to reopen Saturday in time for the parade.

Keith Morris said he’s owned the Chop Shop for three years and rebuilding from Sandy has been grueling.

“I’m going to lose money St. Patrick’s Day weekend. I’ve spent all my money getting ready. I’m more concerned with the season. My goal was to be open for St. Patrick’s Day. I won’t even make 10 percent of what it is costing me to reopen,’’ he said.

Carl Weingroff, the general manager of Ryan’s Deli on the Boulevard, said his business reopened shortly after Sandy hit.

“We were one of the first businesses back up running,” he said. “We’ll be cooking up around 5,000 pounds of corned beef this weekend during the parade. We expect a lot of people to come out and see the progress being made on the boardwalk and what the area looks like now.’’